A significant landmark in Baltimore, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, collapsed like a deck of cards early Tuesday, March 26. Which happened after being hit by a cargo ship, killing six people in the murky waters, and closing one of the country’s busiest ports. By dark, the desperate hunt for six individuals who were working on the bridge and disappeared when it collapsed.
“We have no confidence that we are going to uncover any of these people still alive,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath stated. Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, announced recently that just one of his employees had survived. Jeffrey Pritzker didn’t reveal their identities.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had maintained faith that the missing individuals would be recovered, hopefully alive. Despite warnings about the frigid temperatures and the fact that there had been no evidence of them. Nonetheless, Moore believed if succumbed to the tradegy every body would be located for proper burial.
It was a heartbreaking shock to the missing men’s families, who were waiting for hours near the bridge’s entry to learn what had happened to them.
Why did the ship hit the Francis Scott Key bridge?
It is unclear, but authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board boarded the ship on Tuesday night to collect information. Investigators got information from the ship’s data recording device, which is basically a black box. Which was returned to the lab to assist investigators in developing a timeline of events leading up to the crash.
The Dali, a 985-foot-long cargo boat, was departing the Port of Baltimore as it lost power and issued a mayday. Moments before colliding with essential part of the bridge, known as a pylon or pier. Based on recordings published by Broadcastify, rescue workers’ broadcast chatter indicated that the crew was having difficulty steering the ship. Nearly all of the ship’s lights went out suddenly just over two minutes before it hit the bridge.
In accordance to an announcement by the ship’s owner and manager, pilots at Baltimore Harbor were in charge of the ship at the moment of the crash. Which is normal when vessels enter ports or canals. Governor Moore stated that the bridge was totally code compliant. As the collapse did not appear to be due to a structural fault.
What’s The Death Toll?
Coast Guard and state law enforcement stated the construction workers had been missing for too long to be rescued. According to Col. Roland L. Butler of the Maryland State Police, rescuers will attempt to return to the water to search for the dead. Two additional employees were pulled from the water. One who received medical treatment and later released.
According to We Are Casa, an organization that serves Baltimore’s immigrant population, at least one of the missing males is an El Salvadoran immigrant. Miguel Luna, a 40-year-old married man with three children. Gustavo Torres, the organization’s executive director who discovered that Luna was gone from his family. Gustavo stated that Luna had lived in Maryland for at least 19 years.
Another missing individual, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, a 30-year-old Honduran citizen who has lived in the United States for two decades. Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, acknowledged in an interview with reporters that two of the missing workers are Mexican citizens.
What about the bridge?
Construction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge began in 1972 and was finished in March 1977. The bridge crosses the Patapsco River for 1.6 miles, including the connecting approaches is about 11 miles long. In 2023, moreover 12.4 million passenger and commercial vehicles crossed the bridge, according to a Maryland state government report.
Some Baltimore engineers believe the collapse might possibly have been prevented. The steel beams that support the bridge had been reinforced with obstructing devices known as fenders. These might range from modest pyramids of rocks placed within the pylons to large concrete rings. However, the safeguards would have needed to be able endure an impact from such a large container vessel.
President Biden stated that the federal government to cover the “entire cost” of repairing the Baltimore bridge but urged Congress to support efforts to fund the repairs.
What about the ship and crew?
The Dali vessel was registered in Singapore and was headed for Colombo, Sri Lanka, as stated by Marine Traffic. Synergy Marine, the vessel’s manager and operator, reported that the vessel was carrying 4,700 shipping containers. However, the capacity of the vessel is approximately twice as large, according to the business.
At the exact same time, the vessel’s 24 crew members, as well as two Baltimore port pilots who were leading the vessel at the moment of the disaster, remained safe. And no one was injured, according to the owners on board were 22 Indian citizens.
By Desmond Jackson
Sources:
NBC News: Six presumed dead after cargo ship crash levels Baltimore bridge
NY Times: What We Know About the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse in Baltimore
WBALTV: Baltimore bridge collapse: 2 bodies recovered, crews plan to clear shipping channel
Featured Image Courtesy of cmh2315fl Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Paul Istoan Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
